Loves icy journy
by princedarienofthewhitemoon
Summary: An ongoing, chaptered AmiMinako Yuri (girlgirl, aka lesbian) romance (Finished)
1. Denials

Ok, this is kind of a weird fic. You see, I already sort of wrote this, as "Beginnings". But let me explain… you see, "Beginnings" was always meant to be this –points to the fic below-, but I was in a hurry to post something, so I made a heavily abridged version. The version up is basically a summery of chapters two, three, and five. I'm going to now start doing the REAL fic… should be about eight or so chapters long, each about a thousand words or so.

Oh yeah… and you might (...but probably wont) notice that I took down "Proof of my existence". The reason? It just wasn't the right time for it. Original stuff is a lot more time consuming to write than fan fiction, and I just don't have the time right now with work and school. So I hope that you all like this as a replacement for it…

**_"Loves icy journey…"_**

**_Chapter one: Denials_**

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**_By Michael Treiber_**

**_Series title by Usagi Carter_**

                Minako sighed and idly traced patterns in the water pooling on the table around her iced tea. 

                "Its not fair…" she sighed deeply again.

                "What's not fair?" A familiar vice asked from behind her.

                She looked up and smiled at Haruka, somewhat bitterly.

                "Life."

                The tall blonde raised an eyebrow at the younger girl and sat, joining her at her table.

                "Care to explain?"

                Minako thought for a moment about how to reply.

                "I'm the senshi who is supposed to represent love. But how can I represent something that I can't seem to embrace? Rei has her fire, Ami swims… Even you and Michiru are better in tune with your elements than I am."

                "Ah." Haruka nodded sagely. "I see what this is about now."

                She paused and smiled gently at the other girl.

                "You're lonely."

                Minako nodded slowly. 

                "Yeah… I suppose so." She looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Why do I have to be alone? I'm nice, pretty, talented…" she slowly trailed off when she saw the look on Haruka's face and giggled a bit. "But I'm not arrogant, I'm just self confidant."

                "Uh huh." Haruka agreed. "Then why _are _you alone?"

                "I don't know!" Minako's voice took on a harsh edge. "But every time I get close to someone, something happens and he leaves me. Or I leave him. Senshi business, he tried to kill me, he's in love with a childhood friend… there's always an excuse. True love never seems to hit me… just these stupid little crushes that fade in a couple of days or weeks."

                Haruka shook her head, her well-groomed blond hair barely ruffling.

                "Really? You've never had anything that lasted longer?"

                The smaller girl blushed delicately and suddenly found the wood grain of the table fascinating.

                "Well…" She hesitated before continuing, "I've always had…sort of a… you know…"

                "What?" Haruka grinned ruthlessly.

                "A crush on _you_…Ever since Usagi and I stalked you that first time."

                "Ahh" Minako was shocked when Haruka reached out and patted her on the top of her head. "That's cute. But Michiru would never understand."

                Minako's head snapped up, her eyes wide with terror at the thought that Michiru might find out about her crush.

                "Oh, relax." Haruka assured Minako. "It'll be our little secret. But tell me something… have you ever had crushes on any other girls?"

                "I don't really think so."  Minako blushed deeply.   

                The older woman lightly pressed the issue.

                "So you've never wondered what it would be like to wake up in Makoto's bed, with her big green eyes washing over you as she tells you that she's just made you breakfast in bed? Never even had a stray thought about what kind of panties Rei wears under her Miko getup? Or if she wears any at all?"

                Though Haruka wouldn't have thought it possible, Minako turned even _redder_.

                "Well… maybe just a passing thought or two…" the blushing blond sheepishly admitted. "Sometimes…"

                Haruka bit back a reply and nodded, eyes bright, waiting for Minako to continue.

                "You see, Ami doesn't date much. Actually, she doesn't date at all. She doesn't even get in on all the boy chasing the rest of us do. And I think she's probably the only one of the inner senshi who hasn't had a crush on Mamoru. So we, the other inners and I, have this running bet about weather she's going to find the perfect guy and crash for him, or if… you know…"

                "Or if she's in the closet." Haruka bluntly finished Minako's revelation for her. She spoke again before Minako could cut in. "That's perfect."

                Blinking twice in quick succession, Minako had to ask,

                "What's perfect?"

                "This situation with Ami. You're single, she's single. You've had romantic feelings towards other girls before, and she might very well be…" Haruka trailed off and frowned in thought for a long, silent moment. Somewhat worried, Minako gently interrupted her train of thought.

                "Haruka? Are you ok?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah… just thinking about something Michiru told me a couple of months ago, about swimming with Ami."

                She shook her head to clear the cobwebs and smiled at Minako once again.

                "But as I was saying… This is a perfect opportunity. Ask Ami out for a date."

                "What?!" Minako was shocked. She's never expected Haruka say something like this. "…Why?"

                Haruka sighed deeply.

                "You're a closet lesbian, she might be a closet lesbian, your lonely, she's single… its perfect."

                Minako had trouble breathing, much less speaking.

                "Why… You…I am NOT a lesbian!"

                Haruka reached forward and slowly drew her right index finger along the silken skin of Minako's jaw line, favoring the other girl with a soft half-smile the entire time.

                "Really?"

                As her finger finished tracing the length of Minako's jaw, she brought it up and let it rest on the other girl's lower lip. Still smiling seductively, Haruka put just enough pressure on her finger to slightly part Minako's lips, and slipped the tip of her finger into the other girls mouth, just long enough to run it lightly over the inside of her lip.

                Breathlessly, Minako saw the tip of Haruka's finger glistening with her saliva as the androgynous blond brought the digit up to her own mouth, where she ran a slow, sensuous tongue over it. Eye contact was never broken.

                When Minako finally caught her breath, she asked,

                "So… How should I ask Ami out?"

Ok… how'd y'all like the first chapter? More to come, I promise. Hmm… its weird… usually I trash myself in these authors notes, but I'm to exhausted to right now… I guess I'7ll have to double up next time…


	2. Acceptance

Ok… here's the second chapter in "Loves Icy Journey". Gee… a fic about Ami and Minako that uses the words love and ice… original, eh? Almost as good as my Ami Makoto, "touch of wood, caress of water".

Also, before you start reading, you might recognize a lot of this text. That's because, when I get an idea for a fic, I often write a core piece… basically the chunk of story that first flashes into my mind. This was the piece that came to mind when I started thinking about doing an Ami/Minako romance. At the time, however, I was trying to get a fic done for entrance into a contest, so I made a quickly wrapped up ending and posted it as the fic entitled "Beginnings". It wasn't a bad story (in my somewhat biased view), but it wasn't what it should have been. 

So now you all get to see what the story was supposed to be… And trust me, this is –for the most part- the last of the major use of material that formed beginnings. Chapter one was a prequel to it, this is the body, and the next chapters will all be spin off sequels to Beginnings. 

One last thing. This story has gotten some mixed reviews so far. I still want to write it, but if no one likes it –shrugs- I don't know. Right now I feel good about it, but most of my chaptered stories tend to get to a point where the original enthusiasm fizzles out, and its only pushing by readers for more that gets me writing again. Dark Moon Rising sounding familiar to anyone right about now?

Loves icy journey 

**_Chapter two: Acceptance_**

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**_By Michael Treiber_**

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"No."

Minako blinked in confusion. 

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

Ami's voice was firm when she replied.

"I mean just that. No, I am NOT interested in going on a date with you. Just because I don't date a lot of men does NOT mean that I'm a lesbian." She paused in thought for a moment. "And since when are you?"

"I'm not... well, I don't think so..." Minako knew that this wasn't going to be very good explanation, but she had to try. 

"You see, I was talking to Haruka the other day...what?"

Ami was giving her a flat, expressionless stare. When she finally spoke, it was slowly and careful, as if to a child.

"Minako... Haruka is _extremely_ lesbian. She thinks that all girls have the same sort of tastes she does, and just don't realize it. Just because she told you that you're probably a lesbian doesn't mean that you are. And what makes you think that I would be, anyway?"

"Like I said, we were talking. She said it was interesting how I'd never really had luck with any of my relationships. Then I told her it was because I got these quick little crushes that just kind of fizzled out."

Minako took a deep breath before continuing.  
"Then she asked me if I'd ever had anyone I was interested in for more than just a few days."

Ami had a pretty good idea of where this little story was going by the blush that had bloomed on the blonde's face.

"I told her that I'd had a crush on HER for a long time." A deep sigh. "She just patted me on the top of my head and said that that was cute. Then she asked if I'd ever had any feelings like that toward other girls. I don't know, I said. And SHE said that maybe I should try going out with a few women and see how I liked it. That's where we are now."

"Ok." Ami said. "That was a very pretty story. But it still doesn't answer my question. Why are you asking me?"

"Oh, that's simple. Since we never see you with any men, we all figure that you're just in the closet."

Ami was speechless. Well, nearly.

"Who is '_we_'?"

"Hmm? Oh, everybody... the other senshi, all your friends, your mom..."

"My mother!?" Ami was shocked. Why would her mother...?

"Its not that big of a deal." Minako answered calmly. "Its just that you've never had a long term boyfriend, and not to many short term one's either, and your mom is just kind of worried that you two aren't close enough for you to feel comfortable telling her."

Before Ami could come up with a reply, Minako glanced at her watch and said,

"Oops! Lunch is over... time to get to class. Anyway... think about it, ok?"

Ami called out to Minako's retreating back.

"The answer is still going to be the same!"  
  


*****

"And she just... shot you down?" Haruka was slightly amazed. She'd have thought that Ami would have been a little gentler... Especially with sweet, gentle Minako.

The blond just nodded, her eyes downcast. It was almost four hours later and, even though she had tried to stay cheerful in front of Ami, the icy rejection still stung.

The two were sitting in Haruka's apartment's living room. Michiru was in the kitchen, so the two were completely alone. The silence hung heavily between them for a moment until Haruka broke it.

"Well..." She said. "You'll just have to work that much harder to win her over then!"

"I don't know..." Minako was despondent. "That 'no!' sounded pretty final. She didn't even try to make it a little easier. Just flat no."

"Oh please." Haruka said in an almost offhand tone. "If I know anything, its how to seduce unwilling young women. Now... here's what you do first..."  
  


*****

Michiru waited until Minako was gone before entering the living room. 

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked her lover.

Haruka just grinned at her. 

"Oh, nothing..."

Michiru raised an eyebrow, but chose to let it slide.

*****

"First things first..." Minako muttered to herself. "Flowers."

As she entered the shop, Haruka's advice fluttered through her head.

'One of the reasons some girls say no is because they're afraid that their family will be angry. If you can show them indisputable proof that its not true, that's one obstacle out of the way.'

Minako waited patiently for a clerk to help the person in front of her in line, and then made her request. 

"One dozen roses. Red, long stem."

Normally the price would have been an insurmountable obstacle, but Haruka had given her some money. She said that she'd think of some way for Minako to pay her back later. And even though Minako didn't really understand what she meant, Haruka had also said something about needing to pick up some film for her camera...

"Also, I'm going to need a card with those. It's to read, 'To my dearest Ami...Love, Minako'"

*****

After ringing the doorbell, Minako only had to wait a few moments for an answer.

"Hello Mrs. Mizuno... Is Ami here?"

The older woman shook her head.

"I'm sorry... she's at a cram class this afternoon."

"Oh..." Minako flooded her voice with false regret.

"Well, when she gets home can you give her these?" Minako held the roses out to Ami's mother.

"And can you tell her that I'm sorry if I was a little to, um..." She forced an artful blush before continuing. " A little too...fast... yesterday?"

Without saying a word, Ami's mother slowly closed the door between them, her face frozen in an expression of mute shock.

Minako was almost floating as she walked away from the house.  
  


*****

"Phase one, complete." She told Haruka, radiating satisfaction.

"Good." Haruka replied. "Now you just have to wait and see how she reacts."

She didn't have to wait long.  
  


Ok… that was chapter two. I really am sorry that this was all reposted material, but… well…I explained in the intro notes. Suppose that since this chapter took five minutes to write, I have no excuse about chapter three, eh? Well… One tiny excuse. I'm might have to go home for some family business coming up, and if I do I wont be writing much. Also won't have access to the net. 

Chapter three will be a blend of old and new material. If you've read beginnings, you kind of know what comes next. Basically, same situation, but I'm actually going to write out the interaction between Ami and her mother over the roses. Should be fun.

BTW, I'm experimenting with a new style of formatting. I've never been happy with the format when posting of ff.net… the stories always _look_ so much better in the original MS-word 2000 pro version…


	3. Interrogation

Ok, this is chapter three of my Ami X Minako romance fic. I'm trying my best to keep up with regular posts on this story. You see, I read an interview with Mercedes Lackey (my favorite author), wherein she said, and "If you're serious about writing, the only way to ever make a career out of it is to BE serious. That means, even if you go back and delete it all, you need to be writing three pages a day, minimum." I'm gonna go out on a limb, and assume she's talking about novel pages. A standard paper back novel page is –by my best guestimate- 350 words. That means if I want to consider myself a serious author, I need to write about 1000 words a day. 

-Sigh- on average, I work 50-55 hours a week. No doubt some of you are now wondering what the problem is. I know back in college, I would have _killed_ for 50 hours of work a week. But now I get paid salary, so if I work 50 hours, I average out at about $4.50 an hour. Plus, I'm dead tired, and it's hard to write 1000 words in the three hours of personal time you have a day.

So between personal stuff (journal, because I'll never admit to having a diary), fan fiction, and original fiction I average at about 3000 words a week. Just a little under par, eh?

Anyway, enough of my bitching. I've already had one review complain that the intro/authors notes were longer than the story (which they weren't… I went back and checked), so lets get this started.

Loves icy journey 

**_Chapter three: Interrogation_**

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**_By Michael Treiber_**

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The first thing that Ami noticed when she entered her house was how quiet it was. Then she noticed how dark it was.

"Mother?" She softly called. The elder woman had promised to be home when she returned from cram school. "I'm home…"

"I'm in here Ami." She heard her mother's voice from the darkened living room. As she entered, the other woman turned on a lamp next where she was seated on the couch.

"Minako brought these for you." 

Ami blinked in confusion. Why would Minako be dropping roses off for her?

Twin needles of ice stabbed into Ami as she read the card, and her mother spoke. The card was rather simple, a single line of flowing script which read,

'_To my beloved Ami… Minako'_

"Now Ami, I know that we're not as close as we should be, but is there something we need to discus? Something that maybe you feel a little… uncomfortable about?"

It took a supreme expenditure of willpower not to crush the roses and the offending card nestled within them, but Ami manage to keep her hands and voice steady as she answered her mothers query.

"Of course not mother. There is absolutely nothing that we need to discus."

The deep sigh her mother let out should have been ample warning to Ami that the next round of discussion wasn't going to be fun, but she didn't expect anything close to what actually came out of her mothers mouth.

"Listen Ami, I love you no matter what. And I understand that, while there is nothing wrong with the way you are, you might be a little confused about what you're going through. But I want to be here for you… you know that, right?"

Another flurry of confused blinks.

"Mother…" Ami slowly forced the words out, "You think I'm…"

"Don't!" Her mother softly scolded. " You don't have to hide what you are anymore. I admit that I was a little confused at first, but Minako's a wonderful girl. And I've come to realize that this isn't a choice you make… something you can switch on and off. It's just the way you are. If I want to love you, I have to love the _real_ you."

Ami was to shocked to speak, so her mother continued, showing her a book which had been on her lap.

"Now, I think it would be good for us to read some of this book together. It's called "One in six teenagers'…"

*****

"Minako!" The blond was sitting under a tree eating her lunch, but looked up and smiled as she heard Ami call her name.

"Hi Ami! Did you get the flowers? I'm sorry if the roses were a little cliché... but I'm afraid I don't know what kind you like."

"What the hell are you doing? Do you have any idea what my mother thought? AND wanted to discuss for almost two hours!?"

"What do you mean?" Minako asked in a falsely innocent tone of voice. "I clearly upset you yesterday, and I wanted to make it up to you."

"Minako..." Ami sighed. She didn't know what to believe. True, Minako had just asked her for a date, but was she really clever enough to come up with something like this? Regardless, she continued.

"You can't do things like that. My mother spent a good portion of last night trying to convince me that not only was it ok to be gay, but if I was she would want to know. And THEN she started going off on what a wonderful girl you were."

"Really?" Minako was genuinely touched. She hadn't known that Ami's mother liked her.

"Anyway..." Ami said after looking at her watch. "We'll discuss it later. I have to get back to class."  
  


*****

"It worked perfectly." Minako told Haruka. The two were seated on the couch in the racer's living room, speaking in conspiratorial whispers so as not to be overheard by Michiru, who was currently in the kitchen.

"Not only does her mother accept the idea of her with another girl," Minako glowed with pride as she said this, "But she _likes_ me!"

"Really?" Haruka was genuinely happy for the other girl. "That makes the entire process that much easier. In fact, if she likes you enough, it gives you an ally in Ami's home camp."

The taller blond paused for a long moment before bringing up a rather delicate subject.

"Now… what about your parents? How do you thing they'll react?"

"I honestly don't know." Minako admitted. "My parents are pretty conservative. I've never really seen them as bigots, but…"

"But parents tend to react a little differently when it's their child instead of a complete stranger."

Minako sighed deeply.

"There's another thing to consider. I've always been close to both of my sisters, and I don't want to alienate them…"

Haruka shrugged.

"I'm sorry… I can't help you with that. I don't have any siblings, and Michiru's older brother is a huge fan of mine, so it was never a problem for me. All I can say is be ready for anything. They might just shrug, and think nothing more of it than if you told them you had a new boyfriend. Or they might try and strap you to your bed so that they can get a councilor to 'cure' you. Probably, its going to lie somewhere between those two extremes."

"How did you tell your family?" Minako asked, desperate for any advice.

The older girl raised an eyebrow.

"You seem to be getting pretty serious about this."

Minako simply nodded and waited for Haruka to continue.

"Well…" she obliged, "It all started when my mother started finding pieces of Michiru's clothing in my laundry basket. One day I came home from a race, and she just casually asked me why I had the same girl stay over all the time. I flush with victory, and feeling pretty full of myself, so I just told her the truth. Honestly, I don't think she meant anything by the question, and when I answered, she was blown away."

"But how did she react?" Minako was dying to know.

"First she just sat there, in complete shock." Haruka smiled lightly as she thought back. "Then she just stood up, walked into the kitchen, and stated making dinner. I was kind of worried when she wouldn't answer any of my questions, or respond to me at all. That's when my father got home from work. Just like every other day, he walked in, kissed her, and asked her how her day was. She stared at him for a minute like he had just asked what color the sky was, and then, in a completely deadpan tone of voice, she told him, 'Oh, fine… by the way, Haruka came  out of the closet when she got home. Apparently she's been sleeping with that Michiru girl.'"

Haruka threw back her head and laughed before continuing.

"And this is the best part. He just stared right back and says 'You mean you didn't know?' Apparently, he had figured the whole thing out weeks before, and was just giving me time to come out on my own."

Minako sighed. 

"Well… its good that everything worked out for you, but I think I need to concentrate more on actually _getting_ a girlfriend before I start worrying about telling my parents about her." 

"Phase two," Haruka told her, "Involves showing her that the two of you can pleasantly spend time alone, without her feeling threatened."

Minako frowned in thought for a moment, and then smiled at the idea that bloomed in her mind.  
  


Ok, so I made up some family for some of the characters. I don't think anything I made up contradicts the established story in any way… for the most part, you really didn't see anything about the families of the Senshi. Especially the outers. 

The next chapter is going to be kind of like this… Tiny bit of material from "Beginings", and an bunch of new material. So far I haven't been doing to badly, content wise on this fic… the chapter average is well above a thousand words… not to shabby, if I do say so myself.


	4. Rehabilitation

Heya readers. Enjoying the story so far? This chapter, much like the last one, will use a small amount of material from "beginnings" but, like chapter three, will expand upon it. Oh, and Minako's sisters? They'll come into the picture later. My mentioning them in the last chapter wasn't so much introducing them, as letting you all know that they exist. Actually, they'll probably show up in the next chapter. 

Like I've said before, I'm trying to keep a 1000 word goal in mind for each chapter. I've written plenty of stories with tiny, 2-3 hundred word chapters, but I realized that anything less than a thousand words isn't as worthy of a readers time as it should be. 

Also, I'm foreseeing eight to ten chapters in this series. If I manage to keep to a 1000 word average, that's between 8 and 10 thousand words… not the longest thing I've ever written (see: Written among the stars) but certainly not the shortest (see: Blue). 

Ok, nuff of this. On to the story!

P.S. Is the new way I've been formatting the stories prior to posting working out?

P.S.S. Id like to dedicate this chapter to Wolfsheim, and the nectar of the gods. I speak, of course, of coffee.

Loves icy journey 

**_Chapter four: Rehabilitation_**

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**_By Michael Treiber_**

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                Minako was somewhat hesitant as she raised her hand to knock on the front door to Ami's house. Last time she had stopped by, the blue haired girl had been rather upset. 

                But it had all worked out in the end, hadn't it?

                Her courage thus fortified, Minako raised her hand and rapped on the heavy wooden door.

                It wasn't a long wait before Ami's mother greeted her. 

                "Good afternoon Mrs. Mizuno…" The blond was on her best behavior, and trying her best to pour on her not inconsiderable charm. She smiled brightly at the older woman. "Is Ami here?"

                Ami's mother shook her head. 

                "I'm afraid that she's at cram school for the rest of the afternoon."

                As Minako's sunny smile slowly crumpled, and idea occurred to her.

                "I don't suppose you'd like to come in for a quick cup of tea?"

*****

                "So Minako," Mrs. Mizuno asked in a conversational tone of voice, "How have you been lately?"

                "All right I suppose." She answered carefully. 

                "That's nice." The older woman told her. "And how are things between you and Ami?"

                "Well…" Minako started slowly. "They're…interesting."

                "How so?"

                "Ami is studying as hard as she can to go to a medical university. I don't hold much doubt that she's going to make it. And when that happens, we wont see each other very often anymore. At least until we're both done with school."

                Ami's mother took a slow sip of her tea.

                "Are you worried that you'll drift apart?"

                Minako looked down at the teacup cradled on her lap.

                "Not so much that well drift apart, as that we wont become close enough before she leaves to stand being that far apart."

                It was a few moments before Mrs. Mizuno could think of something to say. When she did, it still didn't seem enough.

                "I'm sure everything will work out."

*****

                "I'm not so sure about this anymore Haruka." Minako complained to the tall blond. "At first it was all fun and games, and I admit, a little curiosity. But now…"

                "But now it's starting to take some work, and you're getting cold feet."

                Minako shook her head.

                "That's not really it. You see, I'm…I'm not like you." She blushed deeply, unable to meet Haruka's eyes.

                "Ah…" Haruka said slowly, her voice calm. "You mean you're not a lesbian."

                The smaller girl slowly nodded.

                "I just… I like spending time with Ami, and I _am_ lonely, but… I just don't know if I have any of _those_ feelings for her."

                The two were sitting, once again, on the couch in Haruka's living room.

                "Minako, it doesn't really affect me either way, what kind of relationship you and Ami have. So can you trust me to be neutral?"

                Minako was hesitant, but agreed.

                "I suppose so…"

                "Alright. Your usual relationships fall apart more often because of senshi duty than anything else, correct?"

                "Yeah, its kind of hard to explain why I end up running away from every date…"

                "Ok," Haruka continued, "So you need someone that is in on your secret. That pretty much limits your choices to the senshi, Mamoru, and the cats. Mamoru is taken, and while I'm sure Artemis would be flattered, your parents would never understand."

                Minako giggled lightly at the joke, and then sighed deeply.

                "Not that they would approve of another girl any more. And besides all that… I'm not…" she blushed even deeper than before. "I'm not _attracted_ to other girls."

                "Does the thought of being with another girl disgust you?"

                A long, thought filled moment before Minako responded.

                "No…" she answered slowly. "It doesn't disgust me… but there's not thrill to it, either."

                Haruka nodded.

                "Now, imagine Umino naked, walking toward you with open arms…"

                "Ugh…" Minako responded before she thought about it. When she realized what she said, her eyes grew large.

                "Interesting, eh?" Haruka pretended to study her fingernails, watching Minako out of the corner of her eye. "The thought of Ami, a girl, doesn't bother you… But Umino, a male, is a bit on the unpleasant side. Now, suppose that you and Ami do develop a relationship. Attraction grows through a lot of channels. Look at Naru… She seems perfectly happy with Umino, even though you don't consider him attractive. But she's fallen in love with him, and that changes things in her eyes."

                "So what you're saying," Minako asked, "Is that if I ended up in love with Ami, I might start to find her more attractive?"

                Haruka shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe you never feel lust for her, but she wants to be physically intimate. Even if you're not attractive to someone, there's still the desire to please the one you love."

                "All right." Minako said, "I think we've beaten the subject of attraction into the ground. What if I simply never fall in love with her?"

                "Do you expect to fall in love with everyone you date?"

                "… Good point." Minako agreed. "But I still have this feeling as though… Almost as thought, because of the senshi duty, I _have_ to take one of my fellow senshi as a partner. 'Settle for this, or settle for nothing'…"

                "No," Haruka told her, "Try 'Settle for a beautiful, intelligent friend, who will no doubt some day be a rich and famous doctor…or settle for nothing.'"

                "But…" Minako's voice was suddenly very small, and timid, "What is she never wants anything to do with me?"

                Haruka grinned roguishly. 

                "Phase two," she bent forward to whisper conspiratorially in Minako's ear. "Involves showing her that the two of you can pleasantly spend time alone, without her feeling threatened."

Minako frowned in thought for a moment, and then smiled at the idea that bloomed in her mind.  
  


*****

Minako didn't have to wait long. Ami's mother had been very willing, almost eager, to tell her exactly when and where Ami's cram class was. Thus, when Ami came out, looking a bit worn, Minako was there waiting.

"Hi Ami!" Minako's tone was warm, almost sunny.

"Oh... Minako. Hi. Um... what are you doing here?"

The blond smiled at her friend.

"You've been working so hard in this cram class that I though you could use a break. So how about some ice cream? My treat."  
  


*****

Once again Haruka had loaned her the money. But why in the world did she want to know weather Minako thought of herself as more of a cat person, or a bunny person?

"Mmm... This is good..." Minako sighed in pleasure after taking a deep bite of her vanilla cone.

Ami just nodded, absorbed in the chocolate swirl standing before her.

"So," Minako asked, "What are you doing in this new class?"

She blinked once, surprised that Minako was interested, but Ami was enthralled by this new class, and eager to discuss it with someone.

Though she didn't understand half of what the other girl said, Minako maintained eye contact through the entire monologue, nodding and making appropriate noises as the situation called for them. This had been something that Haruka had stressed into the ground. Even if you had no idea what she was talking about, or if you didn't care, you had to pretend that something a woman you were interested in said was the most interesting thing you had ever heard. Not only did it make her feel special, but it also let her know that you were interested in _her_, as a whole person.

Half an hour later, Ami seemed much easier around Minako as the two left. It seemed that the stiffness between them caused my Minako's request had been eased away.

"Thanks Minako..." Ami said as they left. "I had a good time."

"So did I." Minako replied. She paused for a moment, amazed that it was true. Normally she would have been bored to tears listening to someone discuss a class on Meji era literature, but she had a good time just being in Ami's presence.   
  


*****

Minako was still feeling good after her meeting with Ami when she opened up her front door…only to find someone waiting in the living room for her, glaring as she slowly stepped inside.

"Um… Kotori. Hi…"

"So," Her older sister said, standing with her hands on her hips, "Where have _you_ been?"

OK, sorry on how long it took to get this chapter out. To tell the truth though… this series is starting to be less than fun to write. I have NEVER gotten as much crap from anything I've written as I have from this. It started with a couple of iffy reviews… which, while harsh criticism, at least didn't feel like personal attacks. Well, ok, so they did… but I got over them. But that was just the start. I've gotten half a dozen emails RIPPING this fic! And I have no idea why! I put yuri warnings in my descriptions, I don't think I'm going to far out of character, and I keep my fics so PG-13 strict, that a lot of them could pass as PG, or even G. So what's wrong with this series? If it sucks, then just don't read it. I don't need the kind of abuse I've received because of this fic. If it keeps up, even though I feel like Ill be giving in, Ill just take it down.

Now, on to happier topics. As you all know, the Haruka and Michiru series is done. I'm thinking about writing an uber-fic, using the material from that series, but with all the holes filled in, and all the timeline errors fixed. I also want to improve the last three chapters, and add some material into the beginning (before the first fic) and into the middle (stuff needs to be done between lots of the chapters).

What else… Dark moon rising is once again back on my writing desk… I just put up a new chapter of it, and the next chapter is in the works.

That's it for now… expect the next chapter within the next couple days.


	5. Obfuscate

                I have to start this off by saying thank you to a lot of people. I was kinda bitchy in my ending notes for the last chapter, and rather than tell me to slag off, you wrote and reviewed me so Id know that a few people actually like this series. Oh, but in answer to one review…Haruka's not going to cheat on Michiru with Minako…ever. It's just a running joke…maybe not to funny, but –shrugs- it's better than the flexible thing.   …  You'd have to have read some of my older stuff to get that.

                Anyhoo… not really all that much to say about this chapter. My work hours have cut back somewhat (for now…), so I have a bit more writing time. Unfortunately, my schooling is still soaking up WAY too much time… ARG!!! Why oh why did I get the bright idea that since I'm a B.M.E.T.  that getting a BA in electronics would be easy? Note to self: Buy shovel, beat self in head with it for being such an idiot….

****

**_Loves icy journey,_**

**_Chapter five (part 1): Obfuscate_**

****

**_By Michael Treiber_**

                "So…" Minako's tall, beautiful sister asked, "Where have you been all day?"

                Minako shrugged lightly. 

                "Nowhere. Just having some ice-cream with a friend."

                "Well," Her sister said, sounding relieved, "As long as you weren't out chasing boys all afternoon. By the way, mom's going to be late, so I made dinner. It'll be ready in a few minutes."

                As Kotori walked off toward the kitchen, Minako wandered into the living room, where her younger sister had her nose buried in a manga. 

                "Hey kid… whatcha reading?"

                With her large blue eyes covered in huge wire frame glasses, and her tousled blond hair, Minako's slender younger sister just seemed to have _waif_ written across her forehead.

                "Oh, hi Minako." She folded her manga over so that Minako couldn't see the cover and tucked it between her thigh and the arm of the couch she was sitting on. "Nothing… just a manga."

                It was obvious that the younger girl didn't want to discus it, so Minako let the issue slide.

                Dinner went smoothly, and as soon as she had finished Minako retreated to her room. Her quick conversation with her older sister earlier had left her feeling almost…guilty? No, she hadn't been out chasing boys, but…

                "She'd never understand." Minako muttered to herself. After all, both of her sisters were _normal_. She could picture the scene in her head… Her mother, surrounded by her friends, saying,

                "Oh, you know my daughters are wonderful." And one of her snobbish friends perks up and says, 

                "But dear, we hear that your middle has… _tendencies_."

                Minako sighed deeply as she sat on the edge of her bed and buried her face in her hands.

                "She'd never understand."

                Across town, Ami was struggling with her own emotional issues. 

                "I just don't understand." She muttered to herself. Minako had never shown the slightest interest in girls, and now…

                It didn't make any sense. Not that Ami was opposed to Minako's sudden interest in females, if that's what made her happy. But it was Minako's more _specific_ interests that bothered her. 

                "Why me?"

                "Why you what, dear?" Her mother asked from the doorway of the living room Ami was sitting in. 

                The blue haired girl sighed and decided to seek some maternal advice.

                "Mom, what would you do if someone were… trying to court you, but you didn't want anything to do with them?"

                Shrugging, the older woman asked,

                "I assume that this is someone who's feelings you would rather not hurt?" At her daughters nod, she continued. "Then just try and let them down easily. Tell them exactly how you feel… and why you feel that way."

                "Hello?" Minako asked as she answered the phone. 

                "Minako, good… listen, I have a great idea!"

                Minako was puzzled by the voice for a moment before it connected. 

                "Haruka? What are you talking about?"

                The older girl's voice was just verging on excited.

                "I have something here that there's no way Ami can refuse! Tickets to Michiru's next concert… you know, the one that was supposed to be sold out that she couldn't get any tickets for it?"

                Minako couldn't help but feel a grin spread across her face as she listened to Haruka's plan.

                Ami was still troubled as she dialed Minako's phone number. She didn't want the romantic attention from another girl, but she really had not desire to hurt the other's feelings.

                "Hello?" Minako's voice answered after the first ring.

                "Minako? Hi…it's Ami… "

                "Oh, hey Ami!" Minako's cheerful voice rushed on, not allowing Ami to get in a word. "Listen… do you want to get together tomorrow? There's something I want to talk about."

                Sighing, Ami's voice was heavy as she answered,

                "Yeah… there are definitely some things we need to discuss…"

Ok, some of you already know this, but I'm going to say it anyway. I'm very sorry about the lack of updates, but I had a bit of a medical emergency in the form of a cyst, which caused a bone infection in my left hand. Two surgeries and a week of heavy antibiotics and painkillers later, the cyst is gone, but I've lost all sensation in my left thumb. That um… kind of took precedence over getting this chapter finished. 

I'm going to try and get this series out as quickly as possible, but there might be further delays, such as if the cyst returns. This round of surgery was actually the second round… the first was an outpatient procedure that had me back at work the next day. This was a full operation, done in my hospitals same day surgery clinic (yeah… I work in a hospital). I was back home that night, but spent the first three days in bed. 

The bandages come off on Thursday, and Ill find out if the sensation loss is permenant… but from what my doctor says, it sounds like its 80% likely that I suffered nerve damage to the left thumb, and so Ill never get full feeling back. 

But really, I feel fine, and thanks to all the support email I got while I was down. BTW… two people wrote me emails that I was unable to respond to. While in a drug haze, I accidentally deleted two emails before replying to them. I've always had a policy of answering every email I get, and this is the first time I've fallen through. 

So to two of you who wrote, and never got an answer… I am deeply sorry. I still want to hold the claim that I'll answer every email I get, but now you all know… sometimes events prevent this. 


	6. Decisions

Ok, once again I'll continue the chain of apologies. This series came at  a  REALLY bad time for me… I'm approaching finals with dread, I've had numerous medical emergencies (everything from a sinus infection to a cyst, to a bone infection… yuck), I've been working overtime, increasing my volunteer work with the holidays upcoming, and still blowing everything off to play D&D on Thursday nights. Also, what writing time I have is usually spent on original stuff… fan fiction is fun,  but it's not _mine_. 

Now, as most of you know, this story is an expanded version of a much shorter story entitled "Beginnings" (which can be found on fanfiction.net). Herein lies the question… do I expand the story, and keep plugging away with late chapters, and possibly having to go on month long quitting sprees,  or do I end it where beginnings ended? Choices, choices…

If I end it where beginnings ended, this is the last chapter. If I go as far as I wanted to… I have no idea. I tried to set up a story that I could expand as far as I wanted to take it. 

Well, enough whining… on to the story. 

**_Loves Icy Journey_**

**_Chapter Six… Decisions_**

****

**_By Michael Treiber_**

Minako knocked a second time. Haruka had sworn she would be here… A third rap finally produced a response, in the form of a muffled voice from behind the door, which opened to reveal Michiru's smiling face.

"Hello Minako. Haruka's not here right now. I sent her to the store. But please, come in."

Michiru saw her guest to a seat in the living room, and then retreated to her bedroom. When she returned, she held two sealed envelopes in her hands. Wordlessly, she held them out to Minako.

"Um, thanks, but..."

The aqua haired beauty laughed lightly.

"Oh please... Like I didn't read all of Haruka's old diaries as soon as we got together. Phase three... a non threatening date in a public place. Thus, the concert tickets."

"Thank you!" Michiru cut her off with a raised hand.          

"I know that Haruka has given you quite a bit of money for this little project. Just keep this in mind when she wants you to pay it back."

She smiled, almost feraly.

"I ALWAYS find the negatives."

*****

                Isolated in her bedroom, Ami made her own preparations for her confrontation with Minako. She mentally reviewed her list of arguments about why a relationship would never work, triple checking to make sure each was airtight. 

                After long thought, Ami had finally decided that the best way to deal with Minako's apparent infatuation would be to overwhelm her with the logistics proving them incompatible. Finally assured of her ability to convince Minako of the truth of her arguments, she left for the appointed rendezvous. 

*****

                Nearly half an hour had passed, and Ami grew more anxious as each minute passed. She was waiting for Minako to make the first move, as her entire strategy was defensively based, but the light conversation and ice cream consumption weren't giving her the opportunities for counter attack she needed. Finally, Minako complied with her mental directives and dropped the first axe.

"Ami?" Minako asked, almost conversationally as she swirled melting chocolate ice cream around the bottom of her bowl.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"What are you doing this Friday night?"

Ami slowly set her spoon down.

"Oh Minako... We've been having a lot of fun together the last couple of days, but..."

Enough was enough.

"Exactly!" Minako said. "We have been having a lot of fun together! And its not like I'm asking you to come to bed with me... just... give me a chance."

"But..."

Minako shook her head.

"Listen. I got two tickets for Michiru's new concert." She held them up for the other girl to see.  "You know, the one where she plays her three new songs? The one that is so booked out that even Michiru wasn't supposed to get any tickets for it?"

The other girl still looked troubled. Minako sighed.

"All right, how about this. Come with me. If you enjoy yourself, great... it was our first date. But if you really, truly don't... Then we tell everyone that we were just going to a concert together. As friends."

She took a deep breath and looked Ami straight in the eyes as she finished.

"And if you aren't happy... Then I'll never bug you for another date."

                As Ami shook her head and prepared to begin reciting her list of arguments, Minako brought up a point she had never anticipated.

                "Ami, I know that you're probably not attracted to me at all. And, to tell you the truth, I don't even know if  I'm attracted to you. But here's what I do know." She took a deep breath and looked around for listeners before continuing.

                "We know that we're going to live a _very_ long time. And we _don't_ have proof that any other humans will share that life span. That means whoever you fall in love with will likely age, die, and crumble to dust while you still look as young as you do right now. So think about this." Her face was set in an iron mask of deadly serious deliverance.

                "When you look at an eternity of celibate loneliness, or a string of heart aches lasting for centuries… do I still seem so bad? So undesirable that you wont even try one small, almost meaningless date?"

A heartbeat of still silence. Then a second. A third and.. Ami nodded once, and reached out for one of the tickets.

*****

Minako was determined to dress for full effect. She was a very attractive young woman, and knew it. The trouble was making sure that Ami did too.

She finally decided on a dress that Setsuna had given her for her birthday. It was very dark red silk, with a snug, laced bodice. The skirt, cuffs, and neck were all trimmed in lace, which served to make her hands, throat, and ankles all look slimmer and more delicate. She wore her hair unbound and brushed until it almost glowed. A moments though and she earrings earrings she had been considering back.  Tonight she

didn't want any ornaments other than the natural ones. A heavier shawl of a slightly lighter tone of red

completed the look. 

The best feature of the dress, however, was that Ami had never seen her wear it before. So it would have full impact, uncushioned by familiarity in the least.

She couldn't believe how nervous she was as she awaited her ride to Ami's house. The other girl's mother had insisted on driving them to the concert, but Haruka had claimed the right to drive her to Ami's house.

When the doorbell finally rang, she almost jumped out of her skin.

*****

Haruka slowly moved her eyes from Minako's face to her ankles, and back up.

"Wow." Short, simple, and straight to the point.

Minako blushed, not from embarrassment, but from a tingling mix of pleasure and anxiety. Haruka was probably the best judge of the female form around, and if she approved...

"Well," Haruka finally said after one last scan, "Its rude to keep a lady waiting."

*****

The entire drive Haruka heaped her wisdom upon her younger friend. What to do if this happened, how to react to this, what to do during every moment before, during and after the date. By the time they arrived at Ami's house, her head was swimming. It cleared rather abruptly, however.

Ami was stunning. There was no other word for it. 

Her dress was dark, almost navy blue. It was sleeveless and V-necked. Not cut low enough to show cleavage, just enough to show all of her throat and the very top of her chest. A heavy sash of black was tied about her waist. And unlike Minako, she had chosen to wear some jewelry... small spherical earrings of silver.

The dress was perfect on her. Not everyone could pull it off, but if the person was small and slender, like Ami, then it perfectly up played the delicacy of their frame. 

"Well.." Minako said, after catching her breath. "Shall we go?"

*****

'So far so good...' Minako though to herself. Everything was going smoothly, and the concert was beautiful.

The only thing that could have been better was the temperature. It was quite a bit to cool in the concert hall.

Thinking that, Minako noticed that Ami's bare arms and shoulders had goose bumps, and she was shivering lightly.

Minako didn't stop to think about what she was doing until it was too late. She unwrapped her shawl from her shoulders, and extended her arm around Ami, covering the other girl in the body warmed cloth.

Ami stiffened, and for a moment Minako seriously considered withdrawing her arm and apologizing. But then she relaxed, and settled back into the crook of Minako's shoulder.

*****

"The concert really was lovely, wasn't it?" Ami was still wrapped in Minako's shawl, though the blonde's arm was no longer wrapped around her shoulders.

"Yeah... it was..." Ami could tell that Minako was distracted by something. A long silence drew between them.

"Did you have a good time?" Minako finally asked.

Ami had to think for a moment. But it was a rather quick moment, as she had been replaying the rather fateful discussion with the blond over their futures in her mind constantly since the words had been spoken. 

"Yes Minako... I enjoyed our date."

Minako was overjoyed, but something clearly still weighed on her mind.

"What's wrong?" Ami asked, concern coloring her voice.

"She said this was going to be awkward..." Minako mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

Sighing, Minako told Ami,

"This is the part of the date where I'm either supposed to start fishing for a good night kiss or walk away gracefully. And I have no idea how to handle it."

The smaller girl smiled and, leaning forward, quickly pressed her lips against Minako's cheek and pulled back.

"Good night Minako."  
  


*****

"So," Haruka asked as Minako go back into the car. "How was it?"

Several possible answers flicked through her head. It was nothing, it was just a peck on the cheek...

"It was a beginning."  
  
  


Well, good news and bad news. The good news is that the stiches finally came out of my hand, and I managed to get this chapter written. The bad news is that this is almost definitely the last chapter of the series.  Basically, between the things Im already obligated to, and things coming up with work and school, I forsee my writing time dwindling to  a shadow of what it currently is. And since anyone whos read anything of mine knows how much I already bitch about my writing time…

So yeah… I drew rather heavily on the material already written for beginnings, cleaned it up and added a bit, and managed to get out a final chapter that's actually a rather good stopping place for the story. 

I may try to pick this story up for a seond "Season" sometime… but I just have no idea what the future holds for me right now…


	7. Afterglow

            It's been a few months, but I finally decided to take this story back up. Long story about why I decided to start writing chapters for this again… I'll tell it in the notes after the story, if anyone is interested. For not, I wont hold you from the new chapter.

**_Loves Icy Journey, Chapter Six._**

Minako was almost floating as she walked from Haruka's car to her front door. Her first date with Ami couldn't have gone better if she had written a script for it beforehand.

            The young blonde blush softly as a stray naughty though ghosted across her mind, and her hand rose to cover the spot where Ami had softly kissed her on the cheek. Well… maybe just a little better…

            Her face split in a grin at this thought. But you take what you can get… and she'd gotten far more than she could have hoped for. 

            Near rapturous joy was instantly replaced with a flash of anxiety, however, as she saw the door opening in front of her and her mother standing in the doorway.

            "Little late, isn't it?" The older woman asked, as she placed her lips around the butt of a cigarette.

            "I'm sorry Momma." Minako replied, "But the concert ran a little longer than I thought it would." 

            Minako's mother took a deep drag from her cigarette, and motioned her daughter into the house. As the younger woman was passing her, however, she seemed to notice for the first time what she was wearing.

            "Where did you get that dress?"

            The smaller woman paused, and turned to her mother.

            "It was a present from a friend."

            "Seems a little fancy for a night out with your friends." Another deep drag, followed by and exhalation of smoke that Minako struggled not to gag at.

            "It was a classical concert Momma… formal dress was required just to get in."

            Minako waited a moment to see if her mother had any other inquiries for her, and then made her way to the bedroom she shared with her older sister. (*1)

            Ami's reception, as she made her way into the home she shared with her mother, was a bit warmer. She passed quickly through the front door, but paused a few steps into the home as her mother called out to her.

            "Ami? Come into the living room, please."

            Sighing, the blue haired woman (*2) made her way into the tastefully decorated living room, where her mother was sitting on one of the leather cover couches, waiting for her.

            The older woman leaned slightly forward as her daughter entered the room and, in a rather anticipatory tone of voice, asked,

            "Tell me how it went! I want to hear everything." She paused then, and grinned a bit. "Well, maybe not _everything_… "

            Sighing deeply, Ami sat on the couch across from her mother and related the details of the evening, stopping before the point where she kissed Minako goodnight.

            Ami's mother seemed almost disappointed when her daughter finished the tale. 

            "That's it? She didn't even try to kiss you?"

            "Mother, it was a first date, and neither of us has much practice in the art of dating girls. So no, Minako did not try and kiss me."

            "Oh…" the elder Mizuno paused, thinking about what her daughter had just said. "So she didn't try and kiss you… but did you kiss her?"

            The soft blush that instantly spread across Ami's cheeks clued her mother in before the younger woman could stutter out a response. 

            Ami's mother laughed softly and stood, leaving the young woman to her own thoughts before seeking bed.

(*1) I don't know if I made it clear in early chapters that Minako and her sister share a room, but its important later –duh- so if I said differently earlier, Ill try and go back and change whatever chapter I miss told you all in.

(*2) What exactly do you call someone with blue hair? A blunette? –shakes his head- If someone has a good idea, feel free to let me know. 

Ok, a little background info on why this story is starting again. A few months ago, when I was last active on this story, I had a lot going on. I was having health problems ( all  better now), familial problems (stopped caring), and financial problems (…ok, so I'm still broke…). On top of that, I just didn't have any time. I was working and going to school full time, and that ate up my day. Well, I'm still working full time (turns out that they wont give you a paycheck if you don't show up…), but school has eased  up.

            -Sighs- That brings me to the last two things that caused me to drop this. The first one is the novel I am/was/kinda still am working on. You see, when writing short stories or fan fiction, 1,000 words isn't bad. 5,000 words and you're doing pretty good. 10,000 words for a single chapter is outstanding, and not bad for a series. Heck… I have series that have individual chapters of less than 1,500 words each, and not much more than 10,000 words total that I'm not to ashamed of.

            But I bit off more than I was ready for with a novel. I've been pouring everything I have into it for almost a year, and I have 40,000 words. Now, if this was FF, that would be a killer fic. Unless it sucked, then it would just be really long. But not for a novel. I figure that, with my outlines, my novel is going to be at least 120,000 words. That means that, after a year, I'm one third of the way done. And yes, before anyone says anything, I know it would be a lot of work. 

            So I'm going to take a break, and write for fun for a while. Don't get me wrong… the novel was a lot of fun, but since I want to sell it someday, if feels like work. I know that Ill never get anything but feedback for writing fan fiction, and that relieves a lot of stress from the writing process. After all, the worst that can happen is that I lose a bit of time, right?

            And that gets me to the last reason I quit writing this story. I was suffering from deep depression six months ago (working on it… a bit better.) due to some long time personal issues, and getting a bunch of flames about this story didn't help. And it wasn't just the reviews (some of those were bad enough)… it was the email flames. The best one was the letter that basically told me that the writer had read everything I posted on ff.net, and couldn't find a single reason why the moderators shouldn't just dump my account and saver server space. 

            So this time Ill try not to be quite so thin-skinned. 

Oh, and yes, I know that my author's note is as long as the actual story… just humor me this once, eh? It's been awhile. 


End file.
